This epic film from director Eloy de la Iglesia is one of the best movies ever made on the subject of the bonds of friendship. Antonio, Jose, and Rosario share the kind of bond with each other that only seems to be possible when we are very young. There is no posturing or illusion among them, their friendship is so pure that it sometimes hurts to watch! Iglesia made a number of these 'teens in revolt' movies in the late 70's and 80's, and it seems like he had a genuine connection to what it means to be that age, and at odds with authority, and the world around you. These movies are so authentic, most likely due to the fact that he would cast real kids and basically had them play themselves. His favorite actor/delinquent to work with was of course, Jose Luis Manzano, the curly haired, angelic looking devil from "El Pico" and "Navajeros," both excellent films as well Sadly most of these kids died before age 30, but they have been immortalized forever in these classic cult films. "Colegas" is huge in scope, going through so many different levels, and situations both comical and sad, and sometimes just plain scary, at one point even ending up in Morocco, all the while the bond of friendship is at it's core.. It is unbelievable that these movies aren't well known outside of their native Spain, and there are no English subtitles available for many of them. But they are definitely iconic in their own land, and a fine document of what life was like in Franco's Spain.
